Tabletop ball games, like ping-pong or table tennis, are well known. Such games utilize a rectangular tabletop ballfield, divided into two player ends by a vertical net suspended from posts, widthwise across the center of the tabletop. The outer bound of the ballfield are typically marked by sidelines and baselines which extend about its periphery. A center line running lengthwise down the middle of the field divides each end in half for serving purposes.
A high-bouncing, hollow plastic ball is projected from one end of the tabletop to the other by means of paddles or rackets held in one hand by each player. Each paddle has a flat, round, two-faced ball striking portion or blade that extends in coplanar fashion from a single tubular handle or grip. The paddle is used to stroke the ball either in forehand or backhand manner, utilizing one or the other of the striking portion faces. One or both paddle faces may have a vinyl, rubber or other blade covering, and may include texturing (typically "pips") and cushioning (e.g. sponge-rubber backing) for greater ball control.
In conventional ping-pong play, a player stands at each end of the ballfield. The ball is served by one player hitting it with his paddle so that it bounces first on his side of the net and then on the other side. The ball must cross over the net which presents an obstruction to play. Following the serve, play continues with each player hitting the ball over the net to the other player's side. Points are lost when a player fails to serve the ball over the net after service, fails to hit the opponent's ball before it bounces more than once on his side, or hits the ball so that it lands outside the gamefield boundary lines. Each error scores one point for the other side, with game continuing until one player scores a winning number of points.
Regulation ping-pong tabletops are quite large, requiring considerable space. Standard ping-pong balls bounce quite vigorously, thereby extending the effective playing area. The game is quite fast, with the single-handled paddle moving from one position to another, for the full reach of the player's hand that holds it.
So that the game can be played in a more confined area, modified forms of ping-pong exist that utilize smaller playing surfaces, thickly padded paddles and soft foam balls. Such equipment slows down the game, reduces the required playing area and makes it more adaptable to small home use. Ping-pong tabletops come as integral parts of portable, folding tables and as overlay conversion tops to fit over standard or pool tables.
Variations of ping-pong type ball games are given in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,622,156; 3,655,187; and 3,189,182. The '156 patent describes a netless game wherein a ball is bounced back and forth between two coplanar playing surfaces over an intervening open space. The '187 patent describes a game in which the ball is bounced between two such surfaces through an opening in a vertical barrier. The '182 patent discloses a table game in which a soft rubber or foam ball is projected between two end areas across a central "fault" zone bounded by two elevated, widthwise extending horizontal rods. All such variations contemplate the use of standard single-handled paddles, or the like.